


A Boy Like That

by wherethefigslie



Series: Deserve A Little More [1]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Emotional Abuse, Emotional Manipulation, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sugar Daddy, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships, dead dove do not eat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-25
Updated: 2015-11-26
Packaged: 2018-05-03 07:42:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5282477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wherethefigslie/pseuds/wherethefigslie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barba struggles between two very different men from two vastly different worlds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Should Know Better

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thatviciousvixen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatviciousvixen/gifts).



> I blame [Broadway Miscast](https://youtu.be/NOoKi6q9ZXE) for this.
> 
> For reference, [this](http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/150209_r26101-864.jpg) is Aarón Silva.

Rafael can’t quite remember how things started with Aarón, not precisely. They’d met a few years back at some party or another, while Rafael was bored and hanging around the bar instead of mingling like he was supposed to. It was before he made ADA, and he wonders if Aarón hadn’t been the reason he’d gotten to where he is today.

He prefers to think he wasn’t.

Aarón had come from money, that much was clear. Rafael could see it in the way he walked, the way he held himself. The way he carried his glass of scotch.

(Rafael can’t remember if he drank scotch before Aarón and he hates that.)

A few inches taller than him and lean. Long hair pulled back into a fashionably messy bun. He’d cornered Rafael at the bar and introduced himself as Aarón Silva, rolling the r in his first name just so. Like he wanted to show what he could do with his tongue.

It’s funny, he can’t really remember what the Silvas did to get their money, they’ve just always had it, it seemed like. He’d met Aarón’s father, like meeting a copy of the man.

Aarón was younger than Rafael but it seemed like he was so much further in life. He was exactly where Rafael wanted to be; self-assured, confident without being cocky. Well dressed, well bred, well connected.

So when Aarón had invited him away for a ski weekend the first time, Rafael had been floored.

“I don’t really ski,” he’d demurred, not sure he wanted to put himself in the middle of all those moneyed individuals. Worried he might be called out as an imposter.

Aarón had simply laughed, head tipped back, rich and deep, squeezing Rafael’s arm. “Qué lindo, no Rafa, no one _actually_ skis there.”

So he’d accepted.

That was his first mistake, accepting anything from Aarón.


	2. Right or Wrong (What Can You Do?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aarón carefully secures his hold on Rafael.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The happy couple](https://41.media.tumblr.com/fcca1eba7fb400680ed18a58e6e4b792/tumblr_nyeaxmR1QV1qz9xwdo1_540.jpg), back in the day.

It was good, when it had first started.

Isn’t that what people say about bad relationships? He was so nice, it didn’t used to be like this, it had started so well.

And Rafael couldn’t really deny that it _had_ been nice. Having someone dote on him like Aarón had, when they first started – whatever it was they had.

(It’s complicated.)

It was decided from the start that they wouldn’t be exclusive to each other. Aarón’s idea, but he’d phrased it to make it sound like it was for Rafael’s benefit. “You’re such a busy man, Rafa. I don’t want to tie you down, keep you from any opportunities you might come across. Besides, you’re so handsome,” he’d always say this while touching Rafael’s hair, or the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t want to keep that from the rest of the world.”

Maybe Aarón should have been the lawyer.

So it was fine, they saw other people. But it soon became apparent that when Aarón called, Rafael was to drop everything and be there.

He’d rationalized that it was for things he wanted to do anyway; weekends on the yacht, nights at the opera, a ski week where no one skied. Trips to somewhere exotic where they could hold hands and kiss without worrying that the DA might see and slap Rafael on the wrist for it.

And besides that, Aarón seemed to know _everyone_ in New York. And if he didn’t, his father did. Rafael met more VIPs at a Silva cocktail party than he would spending six months gladhanding people at the office.

It wasn’t that Aarón made Rafael’s career, not like he liked to claim. He’d worked his _ass_ off, putting in long hours and miles of legwork to earn himself the ADA position. Maybe Aarón’s introductions had helped him get his foot in the door, and maybe Rafael had accepted a loan when he’d really needed it, but he’d paid it back as quickly as he was able.

What drove him the craziest, strangely enough, was that Aarón seemed to take credit for Rafael’s fashion sense.

This was categorically untrue; Rafael Barba could make a seventy dollar Sears suit look like the best Hugo Boss, thank you very much.

It was just that once Aarón started bringing him to his tailor, introducing him to nicer fabrics and bespoke suits, well. A man could get used to that.

So yes, it had started pretty damn well, actually.

The entire mood of the relationship had started to shift once Rafael had made ADA and stopped having quite as much time for Aarón.

There wasn’t any one big flashing light to tell Rafael that maybe this relationship wasn’t the most healthy. It was a dozen little things. Like Aarón calling him _papi_ , despite Rafael hating the nickname. Because he’s ten years older than Aarón, and it feels – weird. Dirty, somehow.

It becomes a cycle: Aarón trying to be sexy, letting _papi_ slip into his dirty talk, pretending that he forgot Rafael hates it. Pretending to ‘just notice’ how it upsets Rafael and ‘making up for it’ with more sweet words and affectionate touches.

And god help him, Rafael lets it happen. Because it’s not like he gets the affection anywhere else, and it feels nice to be spoiled, even if it is for the wrong reason.

It’s Aarón throwing a fit when Rafael has to be called away from a day out on the lake or a night out at the opera. Sending passive aggressive texts about how oh he _understands_ that work is important, and he knows Rafael will make it up to him _somehow_.

And then not answering the phone for at least three days afterwards, when Rafael does try to make up for running off on him. Because he’s busy, of course.

Of course.

Because it’s okay when Aarón is busy, but never when Rafael is.

But the sex is fantastic and the money is fun, and dear god he is so fucking lonely. So Rafael sticks around. Waiting for something better to come his way so he can grab onto that instead.

And that’s when Dominick Carisi shoves his way into Manhattan SVU and barrels his way into ADA Rafael Barba’s life.


End file.
